GRAMMAR BOOK
Liliana Russell

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Nationality 11. Negative tú Commands/
2. Stem changers Irregulars/ Pronoun Placement
3. Para 12. Sequencing events
4. IOP 13. Preterite
5. Pronoun Placement 14. Trigger Words
6. Gustar 15. -Car, -Gar, -Zar
7. Affirmative and Negative Words
16. Deber and infinitive
8. Superlatives
17. Modal verbs
9. Reflexives
18. Present progressive
10. Affirmative tú Commands/
Irregulars/ Pronoun Placement 19. Adverbs

NATIONALITIES

STEM CHANGE
Dormir Jugar Pedir
Duermo Dormimos Juego Jugamos Pido Pedimos
Duermes Dormeis Juegas Jugáis Pides Pedís
Duerme Duermen Juega Juegan Pide Piden
Pensar Almorzar Contar
Pienso Pensamos Almuerzo Almorzamos Cuento Cuentamos
Piensas Pensáis Almuerzas Almorzáis Cuentas Cuentais
Piensa Piensan Almuerza Almuerza Cuenta Cuentan
The stem doesn‟t change for the nosotros or vosotros form

PARA
• Use para (for, in order to) to indicate…
The recipient of Purpose
items • Vamos al restaraunte
• El regalo para tú para comer.
mama
Implied purpose
• Tengo dinero para
(comprar) algo.

IOP
• They are nouns that tell whom/ what • The pronouns le and
or for whom/ what les can refer to
• Replace object pronouns or different indirect
accompany indirect objects object. To clarify what
• Can be in three places they mean, they are
accompanied by:
1. Before a conjugated verb
a+ name, noun, or
2. Attached to the end of an infinitive pronoun
3. Attached to a gerund (-ing verb)
Me Nos
Te Os
Le Les

PRONOUN PLACEMENT
1. Attach the pronoun to the infinitive
2. Attach the pronoun to the progressive
3. Attach the pronoun to an affirmative tense
4. Place the pronoun before a conjugated verb
*IO Placement
• When the pronoun accompanies a conjugated verb, the pronoun
comes before the verb
• But when the pronoun accompanies a sentence with an infinitive, it
can either go before the conjugated verb or be attached to the end
of the infinitive
¡TÓCALA!
¡BÁÑATE!
¡NO LA TOQUES!

GUSTAR
Me • Gusta singular
• Me gusta el carro.
Les Te • Infinitive gusta
• Me gusta hablar español.
Gusta
• Plural gusta
• Me gustan los carros.
Os Le
*Read the sentence backwards
Nos • Me gusta el carro.
The car is liked by me.
• A mi= me gusta *A MI me gusta tacos.
• A ti= te gusta • Used for emphasis
• A usted/ a el/ a ella= le gusta
• A nosotros= nos gusta
• A ustedes/ a ellas/ a ellos= les gusta • The form of gustar matches the
• A vosotros= os gusta noun, not the speaker

AFFIRMATIVE AND NEGATIVE
WORDS
• When you want to talk about an indefinite or negative situation, you use an
affirmative or a negative word
Affirmative Words Negative Words
• Algo= something • Nada= nothing
• Alguien= someone • Nadie= no one
• Algún/ alguno(a)= some • Ningún/ Ninguno(a)= none
• Siempre=always • Nunca= never
• También=also • Tampoco= neither
•
Alguno and ninguno must match the gender of the noun they replace or
modify. They have different forms when used before masculine or singular
nouns.
• If a verb is proceeded by no, words that follow must be negative. A double
negative is required in Spanish when no proceeds the verb.
• However, if a negative words, such as nunca or nadie, comes before the verb, a
second negative is not needed.

SUPERLATIVES
• The suffix –ismo, -isimos, -isima, and –isimas are added to adjectives and adverbs
• It is equivalent to extremely or very before and adjective or adverb
Malo Malísimo
Muchas Muchísimas
Difícil Dificilísimo
• Adjectives & adverbs ending in C, G, or Z change spelling to que, gu, and c
Rico Riquísimo
Largo Larguísima
Feliz Felicísimo
• Adjectives that end in –n or –r form by adding –cisimo/a
Joven Jovencísimo
Trabajador Trabajadorcísimo

REFLEXIVES
• To describe people doing things for themselves, use • In the reflexive construction, the subject is
reflexive verbs. also the object
• Ex: brushing one‟s teeth or combing one‟s hair • A person does as well as receives the action
• Reflexive pronouns are used with reflexive verbs to • The subject, the pronoun, and the verb are
indicate that the subject of the sentence receives the all in the same form
action of the verb. • Por ejemplo:
Me lavo Nos lavamos
Yo me levanto a las ocho de la mañana.
Te lavas Os laváis
• How do you form these verbs?
Se lava Se lavan
• Many verbs can be used with or without reflexive 1. Conjugate the verb as always
pronouns. When there is no reflexive pronoun, the • Posición de los pronombres reflexivos
person doing the action does not receive the action
Sara se lava. ← Reflexive Not reflexive →Sara lava el 1. In front of a conjugated verb
carro. 2. Attached to a gerund
Sara washes herself. Sara washes the car.
3. Attached to an infinitive
• They include the concept of possession.
• You can put the reflexive pronoun in front of 4. Attached to an infinitive command
the conjugated verb. *Reflexive= se on the end
* When you use the infinitive form of a reflexive verb -acostarse
after a conjugated verb, be sure to use the correct
reflexive pronoun. -bañarse

Tener No tengas
Venir No vengas
Dar/ decir No des/ digas
Ir No vayas AFFIRMATIVE TÚ COMMANDS/
Ser No seas IRREGULARS/ PRONOUN PLACEMENT
Hacer No hagas
Estar No estés
Saber/ salir No sepas/ salgas
A f f i r m a t ive t ú C o m m a n d s I r r e g u l a r A f f i r m a t ive t ú C o m m a n d s
They give instructions or commands to
Remember that when you use a pronoun with an
someone by using the Affirmative tú
affirmative command, the pronoun attaches to the
commands of regular verbs. command
*Notice it is a tú command, but ends like a 3 rd
• Pon te otra camisa.
house form
Caminar Camina Put on (yourself) another shirt
Comer Come
Abrir Abre 1) Affirmative: Drop the –s Infinitive
Affirmative tú Command
decir di
2) Put in yo form, change vowel, add –s hacer haz
Camina en el parque ir ve
Come toda la 3) Affirmative irregulars: Di haz, ven, poner pon
hamburguesa pon, sal, se, ten, ven salir sal
Abre la puerta, quiero ser se
entrar 4) Irregular Commands: ten
tener ven
venir
• When using an object pronoun, attach the pronoun to the end of the command.
ex. Cruza el parque → ¡Crúzalo!

NEGATIVE TÚ COMMANDS/
IRREGULARS/ PRONOUN PLACEMENT
Negativos
Des
Estés
Vayas N e g a t ive T ú C o m m a n d s Ir regular tú Commands
Seas
A few verbs have irregular negative
When you tell someone what not to
tú commands. Notice that none of
do, use a negative command.
the yo forms of these verbs end in -o
Negative tú commands are formed
Negative tú
by taking you form of the present Infinitive (yo form)
Command
tense, dropping the –o, and • No les des mi dirección a
• Dar (doy)
adding the appropriate ending. nadie
• Estar (estoy) • Don‟t give my address to
anyone
Infinitive Yo form
Negative tú • Ir (voy) • No estés triste.
Command • Ser (soy) • Don‟t be sad.
• Hablar • Hablo • No hables • No vayas a la tienda.
• Don‟t go to the store.
• volver • Vuelvo • No vuelvas
• No seas mala.
• Venir • Don‟t be bad.
Object pronouns precede the verbs in negative commands, just as with other conjugated verbs.
Ex: No lo uses. (Don‟t use it (the blow-dryer)

SEQUENCING EVENTS
Primero Entonces Luego/ después Por fin
First Then Later/ after Finally
Antes de/ después de
Before/ after
Por la mañana/ tarde/ noche
In/ during the… (NO SPECIFIC TIME GIVEN)

PRETERITS
AR Er/ir
é Amos í Imos
hable hablamos Comí Comimos
Aste Escribí Escribimos
hablaste Iste
ó Aron Comiste
habló hablaron Escribiste
Ió Ieron
Comió Comieron
Escribió escribieron
• -car ending preterite verbs in the yo Perfected action in the past
form will change to –que in order to “snapshot”
keep the hard „c‟ sounds: Beginning &/ or ending
Ex. Yo saque (sacar) la basura ayer.

TRIGGER WORDS

-CAR, -GAR, -ZAR
Tocar
Toque
Tocaste Comenzar
Toco
Tocamos
Comencé
Tocaron Comenzaste
Jugar Comenzó
Jugué comenzamos
Jugaste Comenzaron
Jugo
Jugamos
jugaron
Car -> yo -> que This applies to verbs that end in –car, -gar,
Gar -> yo -> gue -zar. The verb form only changes in the yo form.
Zar-> yo -> ce

DEBER AND INFINITIVE
Debo Debemos -¿Por qué te debo ayudar?
-En vez de sacar fotos,
Debes Debéis
debes ayudarme.
Debe Deben
*Remember you can put a
The verb deber means should or
pronoun in front of a
ought to. To say what people conjugated verb or attach
should do, use a conjugated form it to an infinitive.
of deber with the infinitive of
another verb.

MODAL VERBS
When verbs are used in
the modal verb Deber Should, ought to
combinations, the 2nd Desear To desire
Necesitar To need
verb is not conjugated. Poder Can, could, might
It is left in the infinitive Querer Want, would like to
form. You would Saber Know, know how to
Soler Usually, used to
never say “no puedo
nadar”

PRESENT PROGRESSIVE
Estoy Estamos
Three Vowel Rule
Estas Estáis
1. Leer
Esta Están
2. Leindo
Ar Ando 3. Leyendo
*When the stem of an –er or –ir verb
Er/ir Iendo ends in a vowel, change the –iendo to –
3 vowel Yendo yendo to form the present progressive
Estar+ present progressive *e- i stem- changing verbs have a
vowel change in the stem
*When you use pronouns with the present *Some other verbs also have a vowel
progressive, you can put them in one of two change in the stem
places.
1. Put pronouns before the conjugated verb
2. Attach them to the end of the present
participle

ADVERBS
To describe how something is done, use adverbs. Many adverbs in Spanish are made by changing an
existing adjective. When the verb ends in –o, you replace the –o with an –a.
When an adjective ends in e, l, or z, simply add –mente to the end.
When you use two adverbs. Drop the –mente from the first one
Irregular Adverbs Adjective Adverb
Mucho A lot
Muy Very
Reciente Recientemente
Mal Bad Frecuente Frecuentemente
Bestante Quite
Fácil Fácilmente
Bien Good
Ya Already
Normal Normalmente
Tan So Especial Especialmente
Demasiado Too
Feliz Felizmente
Nunca Never
Poco Little
Cuidadoso Cuidadosamente
Lento Lentamente
Peor Worse
Siempre always Tranquilo Tranquilamente